Rion stretched alongside Noa when they got out of the car, sighing in relief. The drive out to the lake wasn’t long but he still felt stiff. As Rion flapped his arms, bouncing on his feet, Noa turned back to the car and began grabbing their things. Rion quickly turned to help.

“I’ll come by tomorrow morning,” Mr. Murphy was saying to Amber as he passed her the key to the cabin, “but if you have any trouble just go next door and bother Uncle John. And go easy on the lights. I know they take a while to turn on but don’t keep flicking them. Be patient and if they don’t turn on–”

“–turn them off and use our flashlights when it gets dark. Yup! I know,” Amber said. “Don’t worry, Dad. We’ve done this a million times.”

“I know, but still,” Mr. Murphy said. “If something happens and you can’t get hold of John–”

“–run down to the store and phone home,” Amber said. “Dad, I know.”

“Okay,” he said. “Oh. Rion, Noa. There’s something I want to lend you before I go.”

Rion and Noa both looked up. They had started pulling backpacks and things from the car but that got their attention.

“Lend?” Noa said.

“What is it?” Rion asked.

“Let me grab it,” Mr. Murphy said.

Rion shared a glance with Noa before they turned back to the car. Amber grabbed what they’d already taken out and carried it to the cabin.

Mr. Murphy pulled out a very familiar case and held it out to them with a grin.

“Your camera?” Rion said in surprise.

“I was hoping you two could do me a big favour and take some pictures,” Mr. Murphy told them, holding out the camera case. Rion accepted it gingerly. “I put in new film so it’s all ready to go. You remember how to use it?”

Mr. Murphy let Noa and Rion use the camera a few times before. Usually it was to get a few pictures of everyone together and then they would give it back. Rion was always scared of breaking it.

“I remember how to use it,” Noa said.

“Me too,” Rion said. “You’re sure it’s okay for me and Noa to borrow it though?”

“It’s fine,” Mr. Murphy said. “If you have any trouble, just ask Amber. But you and Noa did such a good job last time. I think it would be a great idea for you to take some pictures this weekend. I mean, as long as you want to…”

“We do!” Noa said.

“Yeah!” Rion agreed. He put the strap around his neck to make sure that he wouldn’t drop it. It was heavy, but he didn’t care. “Thanks a lot, Mr. Murphy!”

“We’ll take good care of it,” Noa added.

“I know you will,” Mr. Murphy said with a smile. “Just be careful not to fiddle with too many of the dials. You wouldn’t want to use up all the film by setting it to continuous shot.”

“Right!” Rion said. “I remember! You explained everything really good last time. Thanks!”

“Oh, cool!” Amber said as she rejoined them. “Dad’s borrowing us the camera?”

“I was hoping Rion and Noa could get a few pictures this weekend since they did a great job last time,” Mr. Murphy said.

“We should get some pictures of the trail out back,” Noa said with a rare, wide smile.

Rion returned it with a grin of his own. “Maybe we’ll see some chipmunks or rabbits!”

“But we should save some film for when everyone gets here tomorrow,” Amber said. “We’re going to want some good pictures of everyone with Danny and his family. I’m sure they’ll really appreciate it.”

“It’s fine. I’ll bring more film tomorrow,” Mr. Murphy said. “I’d better get going though. The key works okay?”

“Yeah, we can get in and out of the cabin just fine,” Amber said, gesturing. “We’re all good here.”

“Okay. Don’t have too much fun while I’m gone.”

“We’re going to have all the fun,” Amber said with a snort. She pulled her dad into a hug. “I love you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Love you too, sweetie,” Mr. Murphy said, hugging her back and giving her a quick peck on the forehead. She rolled her eyes at the kiss but she was still smiling. “Don’t forget that the idea is to clean up the cabin before the end of the weekend. Don’t make too much of a mess.”

“We’ve got Noa with us,” Rion spoke up. “He won’t let us make any messes, Mr. Murphy.”

Noa let out one of his quiet laughs. “We’ll be okay.”

“All right then,” Mr. Murphy said with a grin. He hugged Noa and Rion quickly before letting them go, waving. “Noa! I’m trusting you keep these two in line. Make sure they make it through the weekend without destroying the whole lake.”

Noa nodded. “Okay. Bye, Uncle Charlie.”

“Bye,” Rion said with a wave as Mr. Murphy got back in the car.

“Love you!” Amber added with a wave. “Drive safe!”

They waved until he was gone and then headed into the cabin together.

“Okay,” Amber said. “We might as well put our stuff away. Did you guys want to start decorating tonight? We could put up the streamers.”

“Let’s wait until Uncle Charlie comes in the morning,” Noa said. “He’s supposed to bring the balloons and stuff.”

“I guess that’s true,” Amber said. “It’s going to be pretty crowded in here. Maybe I’ll move the couches in the evening so we have more room… We gotta give Danny’s family a really good send off! And when we’re done, we can clean up the cabin for winter.”

“Bleh. Cleaning,” Rion said.

“Oh, come on. It’s not that bad,” Amber said. “Besides, we get to have fun first.”

“I prefer the fun part without the cleaning,” Rion said, looking down at the camera case resting on his chest. He couldn’t keep his hands off it, fiddling with it. “Maybe we could go down to the beach and take some pictures too.”

“Yeah,” Noa said. “Why don’t we put our stuff away and then look for things we can take pictures of.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Amber said. “Actually, Rion, do you mind helping me out with some of my things?”

“Huh? Oh. Sure,” he said, a little confused. “What do you need help with?”

“I brought a blow dryer and a hair straightener,” she said. “If you could just take them and put them under the bathroom sink for me, that’d be great. And while you’re there… Actually, just come to my room first.”

“Okay,” Rion said.

“I’ll put your stuff in our room,” Noa told him.

“Thanks,” Rion said. “I’ll be there right away.”

It didn’t sound like Amber needed any help to Rion. He didn’t know why she couldn’t put stuff in the bathroom herself. But he didn’t really question it since she was older and maybe had other things to unpack. Like…girl stuff?

Did girls pack different things than boys did? They must since Rion would never think to bring a blow dryer out to the cabin. Towels were good enough for him. Why would anyone bother with blow drying their hair? There was nothing nice about hot, annoying air in your face.

When he followed Amber to her room, she quickly closed the door behind them. She didn’t close it all the way, clearly trying to be quiet. Rion stared at her, confused.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

Amber put a finger to her lips. She listened at the door, as if trying to make sure that Noa was in his room. Then she turned back to him.

“I just wanted to ask you a few things, Rion,” she said, lowering her voice. “Is that okay?”

“Um… Sure, I guess,” he said, lowering his voice too. “What is it?”

“Noa’s your best friend, right?” she said, smiling. But her smile seemed a little forced. “I know what that’s like. Celeste is my best friend and we tell each other everything. It’s really awesome to have someone like that, isn’t it?”

“Well…yeah,” Rion said.

He still didn’t understand what this was about or why Amber was acting so weird. Talking about best friends… What did that have to do with anything?

Of course Noa and Rion were best friends. Everyone knew. Why else would Mr. Murphy trust both of them with his camera? He had even handed it to Rion…

“You tell each other everything, right?” Amber asked.

“Yeah,” Rion said.

“Everything everything?” Amber asked with extra emphasis.

Rion began to feel uneasy, wondering where this was going. Because he was starting to have an idea and he didn’t like it.

“Everything,” Rion said, but his voice grew small. “Why?”

“I have a really important question to ask you and I need you to answer me honestly, okay?” Amber said. “No one’s going to be in trouble or anything. I just want to help. You’ll answer honestly, right?”

“Yeah…” Rion said, hesitating. “What’s the question?”

“Has Noa…? Has he ever talked to you about…hurting himself?” Amber asked.

Rion opened his mouth and then closed it again, uncomfortable. He really didn’t want to answer.

Because the answer was yes.

Noa trusted Rion with everything, just like Rion trusted Noa. They could tell each other anything. When Rion told him about what happened to his mom, about how he was still scared of thunderstorms, Noa told him what he remembered about his own parents. They exchanged really, really personal stuff.

Rion didn’t know if it was right to talk to Amber about it. Noa told him a lot of things, not just about wanting to hurt himself but about the times he actually had hurt himself. And Rion promised to keep it a secret. And he did keep it a secret because he was a good friend.

But it scared him when Noa talked like that.  And it scared him to hear what Noa did. It scared him when he saw scratches on Noa’s knees or a blister on the heel of his foot and he couldn’t tell if it was something that happened by accident or on purpose.

And the scariest thing was when he asked Noa how he learned to hide it so well. And Noa said, “Mother taught me.”

Noa said that when he talked to Rion about it, he felt a bit better. He said that he didn’t feel like he needed to hurt himself as much. And Rion wanted to help. He was happy that he could do anything for Noa. He was happy that Noa trusted him enough to tell him when things were bad.

Rion couldn’t break that trust.

But…Amber was older. She was watching them today. He was supposed to trust her and tell her things, right? And he did trust her…

“He’s not in trouble,” Amber added as the silence stretched on. “And you’re not in trouble. No one’s going to be in trouble, okay? I just want to know if…if this is something he’s talked to you about.”

“I… I don’t know…” Rion began. “Noa’s my best friend. He… That kind of thing is private.”

“I know,” Amber said. “I’m just worried about him, Rion. I want to know that he’s okay. And I want to help him. If he’s hurting, maybe we can find a way to help him get better.”

“Isn’t that why he’s in therapy?” Rion asked. “And therapy’s supposed to be private.”

“It is,” Amber said, “but I’m really worried about him. Please, you don’t have to give me any details or tell me what he told you. Just…has he talked to you about it before?”

Rion bit his lip. Amber seemed really worried. Maybe…maybe it wasn’t a bad thing to tell her? She was Noa’s family. And if he didn’t tell her any details… He was worried about Noa too. That made them the same, right?

Rion nodded, not meeting her eye.

“Thank you. Thank you for telling me,” Amber said. “So, he does hurt himself? Or talks about it?”

“Yeah…” Rion admitted just barely above a whisper. “He said… He said he feels better talking to me about it… He… I don’t think he does it that much.”

“That’s…that’s good,” Amber said, but her expression was pained. “Did he tell you why he does it?”

“U-um…” Rion began. “He… I mean… He said he just gets so upset sometimes and…um…confused and he…he talks about… You’re not mad, are you?”

“No! No, not at all,” Amber was quick to say. “I’m just worried. I really love Noa. I don’t want him to hurt himself, that’s all. You feel the same, don’t you?”

Rion nodded, a little relieved. “Noa said things aren’t going great with the doctor he’s seeing. And sometimes he has really bad days or people say things…”

“Say things? About him?” Amber asked.

“About his parents,” Rion said. “He… He gets confused. Because everyone talks about his dad being bad. I mean, the whole town says that his dad killed his mom and then tried to kill him. But he doesn’t remember.”

“I think Mom said the doctor told her that he has repressed memories,” Amber said. “Like, he forgot because that stuff was so bad.”

“Yeah,” Rion said, wanting to open up but still being careful with his words. “But Noa said…he said he doesn’t remember his dad being like that… He remembers his dad being nice to him, so… He thinks that means he’s a bad person too.”

“Oh… No, no. That’s not true,” Amber said. “He’s not like that. He’s good.”

“I know,” Rion said. “That’s what I told him. I don’t know if he believes me… I… He said he was going to talk to his doctor about it, but I don’t know if he did yet.”

“Okay,” Amber said. She took a breath to steady herself. “Okay… Rion, thank you. Really, thank you. Don’t worry. I’ll keep his secret for him. I won’t tell anyone else. Neither one of you is in trouble. Okay?”

“Okay,” Rion said, but he was starting to wonder if he really did the right thing.

“Um…so…here,” she said awkwardly, going to her bag. She pulled a few things out and handed them to Rion. “If you can just put those under the bathroom sink, that’ll be great. And can you pull the shower curtain around the bathtub while you’re there? Just so Noa doesn’t have to look at it. You know how he gets around bathtubs.”

“Okay,” Rion said, feeling weird and awkward about the whole thing.

He took the blow dryer and the hair straightener and went down the hall to the bathroom. He felt guilty, like he’d done something he shouldn’t have, and he ducked his head down when he passed the door to Noa’s room.

Rion tucked the appliances under the sink and then turned to the bathtub. The shower curtain was tucked into the tub, pulled aside. He grabbed it, pulled it out, and then extended it around the tub, smoothing and straightening it out as best he could. They would all know the bathtub was there, but it helped Noa if he didn’t have to look at it.

Rion made sure that the bathtub couldn’t be easily spotted from any angle. Then he took a quick breath and let it out, heading to Noa’s room to unpack his own stuff.